


Introduction to Drinking and Calling College Crushes

by homosexual_having_tea



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: M/M, Trobed, britta's kinda mentioned but she's not like. there, communication studies, fair warning: drinking is mentioned a lot, its kinda fluffy tho, s01 e16, steer clear if that upsets you, trobed fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:01:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homosexual_having_tea/pseuds/homosexual_having_tea
Summary: Jeff gets very drunk to rebalance his friendship with Britta after a drunk dial. Abed also gets very drunk and calls the cute guy from study group he's grown attached to.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 10
Kudos: 105





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I had a lot of fun writing this, and if you'd like a follow-up chapter to this one, could you give me a comment saying so please? Thanks a ton! Hope y'all enjoy! :D

“So… what is it about Britta that made you want to do this?” Abed asked, lying face-up on his dorm room table, attempting to balance a half-empty bottle on his forehead. Jeff looked back from his phone, middle-of-the-night, drunk message to Britta currently in progress.

“I dunno man. She’s a good friend and I’mma feel like a shallow dous... doushie… douuu-,” he slurred, trying to find the right word. “I’m gonna feel like an ass if I don’t.” Abed sat up, the bottle dropping to the floor and rolling to be forgotten under the couch until summer cleaning came through.

“It’s not because you like her?” he asked, scrunching up his nose in confusion. Jeff laughed loosely, flopping haphazardly back onto the bottom bunk, his head hanging off the edge.

“I mean-” he broke into drunk giggles again. “I like her y’know? Just I like professor… wasshername more.” Abed tilted his head back, rolling onto his chest. 

“The fact you can’t remember your girlfriend’s name probably isn’t a good sign,” Abed commented, fiddling with a loose string on the hem of his flannel. “Aren’t people supposed to call each other when they like them?” The weight of his phone in his pocket was stressing him out. He didn’t think he liked being drunk. Movies made it seem so much more enjoyable than it was. He wished Troy was here.

“Shh, I’m still on the phone,” Jeff complained, throwing a pillow from the bunk bed at Abed’s head, missing his target by at least a few yards. 

“I wish Troy was here,” he blurted as he rolled all the way off the table, landing with an ungraceful exhale. Jeff trailed off mid-sentence, ending his call to Britta with a short beep. Tossing his phone to the side, it hitting the couch with a soft thud. Jeff sat up unsteadily. 

“Why do you say that?” 

Abed shrugged, leaning his head back against the word couch cushions. 

“I dunno. Reality is a lot harder than TV cracks it up to be. Troy just…” he searched for the right words, before settling on, “Troy makes life easier.”

“Abed, do you like Troy?” Jeff laughed, grinning widely.

“I think so. Not sure,” Abed tilted his head, running a finger back and forth over the buttons on his phone. He turned back to face towards Jeff. “People don’t stick around long enough to let me… y’know. Like them.”

“Dude, get on your phone and,” Jeff waved his hand vaguely. “The thing. Do the thing-”

“Do you mean call him?” Abed asked, tilting his head again. “It’s like… that one trope… drunk confessions, right?” Jeff shrugged, tumbling off the bunk. He sat back up and with drunken seriousness, pointed shakily at Abed.

“I do not understand you at all, but go call your boyfriend.” Abed smiled softly. What if Troy did want to be his boyfriend? He slipped his phone out of his pocket, the weight suddenly feeling less stressful now.

“And this is a good idea?”

“Abed, all my ideas are good. Call him.”

Three bad attempts at dialing on a flip phone drunk later, Abed waited for the phone to go to voicemail. His head moved side to side against the cushions as he stared at the patterns of cracks on the ceiling. They looked kind of like rabbits. Or Kermit the Frog. Or-

-After the tone, please record your message. Once you are finished, you may hang up or press one for more options.-

Abed sat up straight as the phone dinged, staring at Jeff.

“What do I say when I have a crush? I don’t know how to do this. What am I supposed to say?”

“Wait, who are you calling again?” Jeff asked. Abed groaned quietly.

“I’m calling Troy. Maybe this is a bad idea…” His thumb hovered over the center button, ready to cut off the call. Jeff nodded quickly. He snapped his fingers, pointing at Abed’s phone in between snaps.

“Oh, right. Ok, so uhh… just tell him what you think about him, ok?” Abed nodded, muttering a quiet 'cool, cool, cool' to himself before he moved his sight back to the phone. He glanced back up at Jeff.

“I can’t do this. What if I scare him off?” Jeff sighed, scooting across the floor to sit by Abed.

“Don’t look at the phone, buddy. Just tell me what you like about Troy.” Abed glanced downwards before resting the still-running phone face up on the coffee table.

“Just… he’s nice. He stays, and he doesn’t think I’m weird. I’m more used to people cringing when I talk about my special interests but he just…” Abed trailed off, twirling the string around his pointer finger. “He listens to me. And people confuse me. But Troy’s just normal to me. I can talk with him about The Breakfast Club and Kickpuncher and Cougar Town, and not be weirded out about social cues and smiling and-” his head fell back against the couch again, bouncing a little. “-normal people stuff.” Jeff grinned, waving his hands to signal Abed to talk more.

“Wait am I supposed to…?” His friend rolled his eyes.

“Keep talking. Troy is gonna be in love with you after this,” Jeff laughed drunkenly. Abed nodded slowly, unwrapping the string from his finger before starting the stim again.

“He’s cute too. Got nice hair. And he's got good holding hands. And he’s strong. I don’t like being touched, but him hugging me is pretty cool. Must be the football muscles,” Abed said half to himself. He moved from twirling the string to touching his fingertips to his thumb. Most of the attempts missed. Damn, he didn’t like this lack of control over his movements. No more drinking after tonight. “And he’s comforting. When I panic, he’s there to hug me or hold my hand or let me lean on his shoulder. And he lets me talk.”

Jeff interrupted, telling Abed he’d already said that. The man shrugged.

“I know. But that’s what I like about him most. He likes me as myself, and he’s there for me even when I’m doing bad. It’s… really nice. I just like him a lot and I want to date him,” Jeff smiled at Abed's jumbled thoughts, saying something about them being cute before sprinting to the trash can near the door and losing his dinner. Abed picked up the phone, staring at the screen that lit up his face with a grey-blue glow.

“Hey, Troy. I like you. I like you a lot. Can you let me know if you like me too?” Abed nodded to himself again. Nice and straight forward. That was what people liked in potential partners, right? “Ok, Jeff is throwing up. I should go help him. Bye.” The call ended with a short tone. Skipping the automated message, Abed sent the message to Troy before he stumbled over to help Jeff, whose head was halfway inside the trash can.

The next morning, Troy scrolled through his phone as the bus driver hit yet another speed bump at what seemed like full throttle. Noticing a little blue dot over his phone icon, opening it to see a voicemail notification. He popped in his earbuds as the robotic female voice read,

-You have… one… new message.-

-“What do I say when I have a crush?”- 

Abed’s voice played over the earbuds. Troy sat up, blushing slightly. Abed had a crush on him? He listened intently to the message, playing it over several times before entering Study Room F and plopping down in his seat next to Abed. He was resting his head on the table, a cup of coffee steaming next to him.

"Hey, uh... do you remember the message you sent me last night?"

Abed glanced to his right, keeping his head resting on his folded arms as his eyes narrowed in thought.

"Sort of. Why?" he asked slowly, his sweet brown eyes staring at Troy.

Troy smiled shyly. "Maybe I could tell you about it over a coffee after class?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! The vast majority of comments said a follow-up was needed :D (there will most likely be one more after this :)) Enjoy!!

Troy slid a coffee with two sugar packets across the table. Abed held it between his hands, grimacing gratefully. The steam wafted up, curling above his head. 

“So, you don’t remember last night at all?” Troy asked, keeping his voice down to make sure he didn’t worsen Abed’s hangover headache. He sighed, sipping the coffee slowly.

“No… well, some things. No big details. It’s like… that one scene, from that one movie,” Abed mumbled over his styrofoam cup. He let out a deep breath, sending a puff of steam over the rim of the cup.

“Do you, um, do you remember calling me?” 

Abed set down his cup, tapping his fingers to the top of the table. “I do. Not very well, but I know that I did call you. What did I say?” he asked nervously, the tapping of his fingers taking on a continuous rhythm.

“Well, you, um…” Troy trailed off, staring awkwardly down at the napkin on the table with a stain that looked like a humpback whale. “You might have told me that you had a crush on me. And that you like holding my hands. And that you like me ‘cause I listen.”

Abed paled, his fingers coming to a still on the tabletop. He looked up from his cup, staring blankly at Troy.

“Is that why you got me a coffee?” he asked, sitting up straight in his seat. Troy nearly nodded before Abed continued with, “It’s fine if that weirded you out. Thank you for at least telling me. I’ll go now.” He pulled his jacket off the back of the chair, beginning to stand up. Troy quickly put his hand on top of Abed’s.

“Look, Abed. I’m not…. weirded out or anything. What I’m trying to say is,” he smiled widely. “I like you back.” Abed tilted his head to the side, his eyes widening under his borrowed-from-Jeff sunglasses. Sitting back down, he stared at his hand Troy held gently. “Did you mean it?”

Abed nodded faintly, still staring at Troy’s hand. “I did mean it. I just never told you because I don’t have a lot of friends. And I value you being here.” Troy’s grin nearly blinded him.

“You really do like me?”

Abed blinked confusedly, spilling a few drops of coffee after missing his mouth, lost in thought. “Why wouldn’t I? Doesn’t everyone?” Troy shrugged, passing Abed the whale napkin.

“Well, I’m not the super popular jock at Greendale, so… no.” Seeing Abed’s confusion, he quickly added, “But that’s a good thing! It means that you like me and not my popularity.” Abed smiled faintly, adjusting his sunglasses quickly before standing up, still holding Troy’s hand in his.

“I should probably go sleep off this hangover before the Valentines dance, but would you like to hang out in my dorm? We could talk or watch a movie or something before I crash,” Abed suggested, Troy standing up across the table from him, nodding happily.

The two walked down the hall to Abed’s dorm, their hands held tightly together and swinging ever so slightly as they made their way through the school. Once they made it back to Abed’s dorm, still positively trashed from the night before, knicknacks scattered on the floor, random drawers open, his bedsheets dangling from the top bunk. The two collapsed on the couch, which was relatively free of junk.

Abed dropped his sunglasses on the table, quickly planting his face against Troy’s shoulder, their hands still connected. He mumbled something into Troy’s sweatshirt before closing his eyes. “I think I’m not awake enough to talk.” Troy laughed.

“Hey, before you fall asleep, can I ask you something?” Troy delicately brushed his thumb over the back of Abed’s hand. He nodded against Troy’s arm, nuzzling his head into the shirt to block out the sunlight streaming in through the crack in the blinds. Troy leaned his head on top of Abed’s. “Do you want to go to the dance with me tonight?”

“Yeah. Thanks for asking,” Abed mumbled as his breathing began to even out. Troy grinned to himself, giving Abed’s hand a soft squeeze, letting him know he’d heard Abed’s answer. He couldn’t wait


End file.
